2014届江苏省启东中学高三上学期第一次月考英语试题(2013.10)

（共 5 小题；每小题 1 分，满分 5 分） 听下面 5 段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的 A、B、C 三个选项中选出最 佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有 10 秒钟的时间来回答有关小题 和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。 1. What will the man probably take? A. The subway B. The bus C. The taxi 2. When will the library be open on Saturdays? A. 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. B. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. C. closed 3. What’s the man now? A. An engineer B. A teacher C. An official 4. What does the man mean? A. The woman should consult her dancing teacher. B. The woman should practice more. C. The woman should continue to take her dancing class. 5. What do we learn from the conversation? A. The woman may not have followed the doctor’s instructions B. The man will go to see the doctor again with the woman C. The woman is too ill to recover in a few days 第二节 (共 15 小题；每小题 1 分，满分 15 分) 听下面 5 段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的 A、B、C 三个 选项中选出最佳选项，标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小 题，每小题 5 秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出 5 秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。 听第 6 段材料, 回答第 6 至 7 题。 6. What does the man like to do this evening? A. Hold a party B. Watch TV C. Go to the cinema 7. When will the company party start? A. At 5:30 B. At 7:30 C. At 8:00 8. Where did the man see the ad for the bike sale?

A. On TV B. In a department store 11. Which bike is the latest model?第 1 页 共 12 页

C. In the newspaper

A. The Curzon B. The Anderson C. The Instant 12. What does the man decide to do in the end? A. But the cheapest one B. Go to the shop to have a look first C. Buy the one recommended by the woman 听第 9 段材料，回答第 13 至 16 题。 13. What is the purpose of the woman’s visit? A. Business B. Pleasure C. Business and pleasure 14. Where will the woman stay during her stay in the country? A. At a friend’s home B. At a hotel C. At her own home 15. What are in the woman’s luggage? A. Clothes, computer and books B. CD player, clothes and books C. Some gifts, books and CD player 16. What do we know about the woman? A. Her parents are on the same trip B. She enjoys travelling to different countries C. She was born in that country 听第 10 段材料，回答第 17 至 20 题。 17. What was Mr. Flowers’ greatest hope? A. To grow beautiful flowers B. To grow a rose of new color and win a prize C. To take part in the competition 18. Why did the boys often throw a stone or two at the glasshouse? A. Because they hated Mr. Flowers B. Because they are naughty C. Because they just wanted to play a joke on Mr. Flowers 19. Why did Mr. Flowers put up a large notice made of good strong wood? A. To tell the boys not to throw stones at the notice B. To make the boys see it clearly C. To make the glasshouse safe 20. Why did the boys throw stones at Mr. Flowers’ notice? A. Because they wanted to do what they told not to B. Because the notice was closer to the path C. Because the notice was in the way 第二部分 英语知识运用(共两节，满分 35 分) 第一节：语法和词汇知识(共 15 小题；每小题 1 分，满分 15 分) 从 A、B、C、D 四个选 项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。 21. Everybody has ______ responsibility to save water, if future generations are to enjoy _____ similar standard of living to the one we enjoy now. A. the; / B. a; a C. /; the D. a; the 22. Scientists say human activity contributes to climate change, but they do not agree on the rate _______ climate change may be developing. A. with which B. with that C. at which D. at that 23. Mary ______ all the housework, she dropped herself into the sofa, sighing with relief. A. finished B. had finished C. having finished D. finishing 24. Each member country WTO must ___________ its laws and regulations and compete on the principle of fairness and cooperation.第 2 页 共 12 页

A. submit to B. cater to C. correspond to D. relate to 25. The detective, ______ to be reading a newspaper, glanced at the man_____ next to a woman. A. pretending, seated B. pretended, seated C. pretending, seat D. pretended, seating 26．It is wise to put milk on a shelf close to the bottom because it is especially _______ to temperature changes A．flexible B．fundamental C．sensitive D．positive 27. —I can’t manage this Sunday. Another time , but not Sunday. —Why_______ me earlier ? I’ve been looking forward to it. A. hadn’t you told B. don’t you tell C. not to tell D. didn’t you tell 28. Everyone doesn’t agree to the plan. Some support it while I’m one of ______ opposed to it. A. those who B. who C. those D. that 29. No one in the department but Tom and I_________ that the director is going to resign. A. know B. am to know C. knows D. have known 30. ______ intelligence, you are no worse than others. It is your attitude that makes the greatest difference. A. Regardless of B. In terms of C. In case of D. On top of 31. Fully ________ in looking after three children at home, she no longer has time to enjoy various activities in the club. A. attached B. occupied C. contributed D. devoted 32. The newly built cafe, the walls of ______ painted light green, is really a peaceful place for us, especially after hard work. A. whose B. it C. what D. which 33. He was _________of looking down upon the disabled person in public, but he turned a deaf ear to it. A. condemned B. charged C. accused D. blamed 34. ________ some teenagers don’t realize is ________ difficult life can be after they get addicted to drugs. A. What; how B. That; how C. What; what a D. That; what 35. ---He is a very hard-working student. ---________. As far as I know, he often burns the midnight oil. A. You can say that again B. Absolutely not C. Heaven knows. D. No way 第二节 完形填空（共 20 小题；每小题 1 分，满分 20 分） 请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在 答题卡上将该项涂黑。 One effective way of destroying happiness is to look at something and focus on even the smallest fault. It’s like looking at the tiled（铺瓦的）ceiling and concentrating on the space where one tile is 36 . Once I heard a bald man said, “whenever I enter a room 37 I see is hair.” Once you’ve 38 what your missing tile is, explore whether acquiring it will 39 make you happy. Then do one of the three things: get it, replace it with a different 40 , or forget about it and 41 the tiles in your life that are not missing. We all know people who have a relatively 42 life, yet are essentially unhappy while people who have suffered a great deal but 43 remain happy. The first 44 is gratitude. All happy people are 45 . Ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads people to 46 , but it’s truer to say that complaining leads to people becoming unhappy. The second secret is 47 that happiness is a byproduct of something else. The most obvious 48 are those pursuit that give our lives purpose — anything 49 studying第 3 页 共 12 页

insects to playing baseball. The more passions we have, the more happiness we are 50 to experience. Finally, the belief that something permanent goes beyond us and that our 51 has some larger meaning can help us to feel happier. We 52 a spiritual faith, or a philosophy, it should 53 this truth: if you choose to find the 54 in every situation, you will be blessed, and if you choose to find the awful, you will be cursed. As with happiness itself, this is 55 your decision to make. 36. A、different B、missing C、short D、broken 37. A、nothing B、none C、all D、anything 38. A、determined B、predicted C、assumed D、imagined 39. A、completely B、naturally C、hopefully D、really 40. A、tile B、brick C、ceiling D、house 41. A、look on B、focus on C、count on D、rely on 42. A、peaceful B、difficult C、easy D、ordinary 43. A、certainly B、merely C、hardly D、generally 44. A、secret B、factor C、rule D、key 45. A、wealthy B、grateful C、proud D、generous 46. A、upset B、quarrel C、complain D、depress 47. A、admitting B、assuming C、proving D、realizing 48. A、sources B、results C、answers D、goals 49. A、among B、from C、through D、for 50. A、probable B、possible C、likely D、capable 51. A、value B、destination C、survival D、existence 52. A、need B、lack C、demand D、expect 53. A、involve B、include C、absorb D、mean 54. A、worst B、best C、positive D、negative 55. A、absolutely B、totally C、exactly D、largely 第三部分：阅读理解（共 15 小题；每小题 2 分，满分 30 分） 请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答 题卡上将该项涂黑。 A Pacing and Pausing Sara tried to befriend her old friend Steve's new wife, but Betty never seemed to have anything to say. While Sara felt Betty didn't hold up her end of the conversation, Betty complained to Steve that Sara never gave her a chance to talk. The problem had to do with expectations about pacing and pausing. Conversation is a turn-taking game. When our habits are similar, there's no problem. But if our habits are different, you may start to talk before I'm finished or fail to take your turn when I'm finished. That's what was happening with Betty and Sara. It may not be coincidental that Betty, who expected relatively longer pauses between turns, is British, and Sara, who expected relatively shorter pauses, is American. Betty often felt interrupted by Sara. But Betty herself became an interrupter and found herself doing most of the talking when she met a visitor from Finland. And Sara had a hard time cutting in on some speakers from Latin America or Israel. The general phenomenon, then, is that the small conversation techniques, like pacing and pausing, lead people to draw conclusions not about conversational style but about personality and abilities. These habitual differences are often the basis for dangerous stereotyping (思维定 式). And these social phenomena can have very personal consequences. For example, a woman第 4 页 共 12 页

from the southwestern part of the US went to live in an eastern city to take up a job in personnel. When the Personnel Department got together for meetings, she kept searching for the right time to break in --- and never found it. Although back home she was considered outgoing and confident, in Washington she was viewed as shy and retiring. When she was evaluated at the end of the year, she was told to take a training course because of her inability to speak up. That's why slight differences in conversational style --- tiny little things like microseconds of pause --- can have a great effect on one's life. The result in this case was a judgment of psychological problems --- even in the mind of the woman herself, who really wondered what was wrong with her and registered for assertiveness training. 56. What did Sara think of Betty when talking with her? A. Betty was talkative. B. Betty was an interrupter. C. Betty did not take her turn. D. Betty paid no attention to Sara. 57. According to the passage, who are likely to expect the shortest pauses between turns? A. Americans. B. Israelis. C. The British. D. The Finns. 58. We can learn from the passage that ______. A. communication breakdown results from short pauses and fast pacing B. women are unfavorably stereotyped in eastern cities of the US C. one's inability to speak up is culturally determined sometimes D. one should receive training to build up one's confidence B New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk. It’s now a “global village” where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly increased by foreign language skills. Deeply involved with this new technology is a kind of modern businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support domestic business efforts. Overseas assignments are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being “out of sight and out of mind.” He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company’s plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater confidence in his or her ability to manage back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more common. Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets. English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language isn’t generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal. The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural insight to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign customers over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset to the firm. 59. With the increased use of high-tech communications equipment, businesspeople ________. A. are eager to work overseas B. have to get familiar with modern technology C. are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations第 5 页 共 12 页

D. are attaching more importance to their overseas business 60. In this passage, “out of sight and out of mind” (Line 3, Para. 3) probably means ________. A. leaving all care and worry behind B. being unable to think properly for lack of insight C. being totally out of touch with business at home D. missing opportunities for promotion when abroad 61. According to the passage, what is an important consideration of international corporations in employing people today? A. Ability to speak the customer’s language. B. Connections with businesses overseas. C. Technical know-how. D. Business experience. 62. The advantage of employees having foreign language skills is that they can ________. A. fast-forward their proposals to headquarters B. better control the whole negotiation process C. easily make friends with businesspeople abroad D. easily find new approaches to meet market needs C When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead. One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I'm dead—take me away” when it is dead. But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet” when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait— I'm not dead yet” quickly goes away. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they move away the body. To test his theory, Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the “Wait—I'm not dead yet” chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the “not dead yet” chemical overrides the “dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining “dead” chemical and remove the body from the nest. Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems. 63. What is the function of the first paragraph? A. Leading the following paragraphs. B. Showing the main idea of the passage. C. Introducing the background of the passage. D. Giving a summary of the passage. 64. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph? A. is weaker than B. is stronger than C. is better than D. is worse than 65. What can we learn from the passage? A. Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.第 6 页 共 12 页

B. When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical. C. A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical. D. Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other. 66. Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right? A. Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places. B. Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants. C. Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior，and then did some tests to prove his theory. D. Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own. D Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said. "Can we write him a letter?" She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes." My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked. "No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for. "Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face. She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining. "Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three." The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds. Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary. I prayed to be a balloon. 67．When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother _________. A．felt it hard to answer B．thought her a creative girl C．believed it easy to do so D．found it easy to lie 68．When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _________. A．jumped with joy B．became excited C．started writing immediately D. was worried that it couldn't be delivered 69．In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like? A．An incurable disease. B．An unforgettable memory. C．The hard time her father had. D．The failures her father experienced. 70．What would be the best title for the passage? A．An unforgettable experience B．The strong red balloon C．Fly to paradise D．A great father

第Ⅱ卷(非选择题共 35 分) 第一节 任务型阅读(共 10 小题；每小题 0.5 分，满分 5 分)第 7 页 共 12 页

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。 注意：每个空格只填 1 个单词。请将答案写在答题卡相应题号的横线上。 Have you ever intended to be fully absorbed in your work but found yourself distracted by e-mail, the Internet and other things throughout the day? "People often lose their concentration when they are bored, of course, but also when they are engaged in challenging tasks," says Peter Bregman. "They sometimes have a feeling to escape from what's difficult or boring, so they jump out," he says. The part of the brain devoted to attention is connected to the brain's emotional center. Any strong emotion—quarrels with colleagues, problems at home—can interrupt our attention. Studies over the last decade have shown that too much work to do at a time can easily lead to distraction. Refocusing is hard for many people. Robert Epstein suggests the following, "Stop and listen to music for a few minutes. Go for a short walk or take a deep breath, where you breathe in deeply, count to five slowly, hold it and breathe out very slowly." This can "blow out all the tension and the unwanted in your mind to restore your focus." Take more control by structuring your time and becoming more aware of your behaviors. "Setting the phone alarm to go off every hour is my way of creating awareness," Mr. Bregman says," You have to inform yourself that you've lost focus in order to do something about it." Starting the day with a to-do list is important, such as when to eat, when to go to the gym or take a walk. But if it's overly ambitious, you will put yourself in a state of anxiety, which makes it hard for the brain to concentrate. "Choosing three or four things as your priority for the day allows your brain to settle down and focus," he says. Topic How to become more (71) ________ on the work?

(72)_______ of ▲People tend to get away from things that they're (73) _____ up getting with. distracted ▲Strong (74) _________ affect the brain' s part for attention. ▲People get distracted easily if (75) __________ multitasks at a time. (76) ______ of strong emotions ▲having a (77) ___________ with a colleague. ▲meeting with problems at home

▲Stop working to restore your focus by (78) _______ your breath and try different relaxing things. Tips on holding ▲(79) _________ your time effectively and create awareness of your attention behaviors. ▲Make a to-do list at the beginning of a working day. ▲Focus on 3 or 4 things and get them done (80) _______ for the day.

第二节 单词拼写(共 10 小题；每小题 0.5 分，满分 5 分)81. When you read the article, do _________(加下划线) the most important words. 82. Is military service ________(强制的) in your country? 83. Red _________(象征) the bravery, revolution, strength and blood of the country. 84. What the man said was not _________(一致的) with their investigation.. 85. We had to ___________(妥协) with him on the point. 86. In s________ to the famous artist, we held a big party. 87. The British increased control over their American colonies, s_______ soldiers there. 88. C______ that he did not study, he did well on the test.第 8 页 共 12 页

89. On traffic signs yellow means that we should take c_______. 90. He will be the s_________ for me as chairperson while I am away.

第三节 动词填空(共 10 小题；每小题 0.5 分，满分 5 分)91. He told me this was the first time they ______ (see) a film in the cinema together as a family. 92. Henry has come in his raincoat and boots, __________(prepare) for rain. 93. Most students’ attitude towards fashion are reported _________(change) nowadays in a recent survey. 94. Many students prefer working hard to _______(equip) with knowledge. 95. Thank you very much for the trouble you have taken ______ (help) me with my English. 96. The professor spoke very clearly to make his speech easy________(understand). 97. Jack looked at Mary, tears filling his eyes and shouted at the words _____(hide) in his heart for years. 98. ____(devote) to caring for the poor, Mother Teresa is greatly respected throughout the world. 99. Is there any possibility of their team ________(defeat) in the coming competition? 100. The teacher had a talk with Bob. What the teacher said set him ________(think).

第四节 书面表达(满分 20 分)下面这幅漫画展现了人生的一个道理，请根据你对这幅漫画的理解用英语写一篇短文．

你的短文应包含以下内容： 1.描述图片内容，如图中人物的行为和心情等： 2.揭示图画所要表达的人生哲理； 3.结合自身实际，谈谈这一漫画给你的启示。 注意： 1.词数 150 左右。开头已经写好，不计入总词数． 2.作文中不得提及考生所在学校和本人姓名。 3.参考词汇：挖土 cut earth 钻石 diamond Many people fail in life because they do not realize how close they are to success when they give up. In this picture, we can see ____________________________________第 9 页 共 12 页

一． 书面表达 Many people fail in life because they do not realize how close they are to success when they give up. In this picture, we can see a man is cutting earth in a tunnel, hoping to find some diamonds. He makes great efforts in his work. However, after a long time of pains without gains, he decides to give up. With one or two more attempts of cutting, he would have seen those diamonds right in front of him. This story tells us a very simple but important piece of truth: we should be confident in what we have chosen to do and never stop our efforts until we succeed. As a student preparing for the entrance examinations, I should learn a lesson from the man. Just like the diamonds in the picture, success is just waiting for my last efforts. I have been cutting earth for so many years, so I will never give up before I succeed. 听力原文： Text 1 M: Are the subway trains easy to take here? W: Oh, yes. I recommend the subways. They are very fast, faster than taxi. Text 2 W: I certainly hope the library will be open this Saturday. M: Here are the library hours! On weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., on Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed on Sundays. Text 3: W: What jobs have you done in the last ten years? M: Many kinds of jobs. I was once an engineer and later a teacher. Up till now, I have been an official for three years. Text 4: W: I’m considering dropping my dancing class. I’m not making any progress. M: If I were you, I’d stick with it. It’s definitely worth time and efforts. W: Thank you so much. I will go ahead. Text 5: W: You see, I still have this pain in my back, but this medicine the doctor gave me was supposed to make me feel better by now. M: Maybe you should have taken it three times a day as you were told. W: Yes, you are absolutely right. Text 6: M: Did you hear what’s on TV tonight? W: No. What? M: My favourite movie of all time: This Is It. 第 10 页 共 12 页

W: Oh, I love that movie, too. What time does it start? Remember we have to go to the company party this evening? M: Oh, yeah. I’m not sure what time the movie starts. What time is the party? W: It’s from 5:30 to 7:30 M: Well, if the movie doesn’t start too early, like at 8:00 or something, we’re OK. Text 7: M: Hello, Louise. Have you seen my new supermarket yet? W: Yes. I’ve heard of it actually. I suppose you must like it. M: Yes, I mean it’s marvelous. W: Oh, Jeff. I really can’t agree. I don’t like it at all. My shop is much better. M: You must be mad. I think it’s really …..you know…so easy to buy everything in one place. W: Yes, it’s easy. But don’t you think the food isn’t….I mean small shops usually have much fresher food. M: Maybe, but you pay for it. Things in small shops are more expensive, aren’t they? W: Yes, I agree with you, but supermarket staff are badly paid and they are really…..but you get better service in small shops. They are much more friendly. M: No, everyone in my supermarket is very nice. Text 8 W: Hello, February’s Department Store. Can I help you? M: Yes. Your advertisement in the Daily Paper says you have some bicycles on sale. I’m really interested in buying one. W：I see. But we have three different brands available, Curzon, Anderson and Instant. Which one would you prefer? M: I’m not quite familiar with those brands. Could you recommend one for me? W: Well, that depends on what kind of bicycle you want. The Curzon is the cheapest one, only 60 dollars; the Anderson bike is a 2013 model, the newest one; the Instant is more comfortable than the other two, but it is the most expensive of all, 85 dollars. M: Oh, it is really hard to decide. I think I’ll come over and take a look at them. Thank you so much. See you later. W: See you. Text 9 M: Next. Uh….your passport, please. W: Okay. M: Uh, what’s the purpose of your visit? W: I’m here to attend a teaching conference for the first part of my trip, and then I plan on toruing the capital for a few days. M: And where will you be staying? W: I’ll be staying at a hotel downtown for the entire week. M: And uh, what do you have in your luggage? W: Uh, well, just, just my personal belongings, um,…clothes, a few books and a CD player. M: Okay. Uh, please open your bag. W: Sure. M: Okay…Everything’s fine. Great. Uh, by the way, is this your first visit to the country? W: Well, yes and no. Actually, I was born here when my parents were working in the capital many years ago, but this is my first trip back since then. M: Well, enjoy your trip. W: Thanks. Text 10 There was once a man who spent 90% of his time in his glasshouse. Flowers was his name and flowers were his main joy in his life. He grew flowers of every color under the sun. He grew these flowers in order to enter them for competition. His greatest hope in life was to grow a rose of an entirely new color that would win him the silver cup for the Rose of the Year. Mr. Flowers’ glasshouse was close to a public path, which was always used by children walking to and from school. Boys were often attracted to throw a stone or two at his glasshouse. So Mr. Flowers did his best to be in or close by his glasshouse at the beginning and end of the school day. However, it was not convenient or possible to be on guard all the time. Mr. Flowers had tried many ways to prevent harm to his glasshouse, but nothing that he had done had been successful. Then, just as he was giving up the hope of ever winning the battle and of growing the Rose of the Year, he had a truly wonderful idea. He put up a large notice made of good, strong wood, some meters away from the glasshouse, where it could be clearly seen from the path. He had painted the words on the board: DO NOT THROW STONES AT THIS NOTICE. After this, Mr. Flowers had no further trouble. The boys were much more attracted to throw stones at the notice than at the glasshouse.